Arsenal and Manchester United are each planning moves for VFL Wolfsburg left-back Ricardo Rodríguez, who is available for €30 million (£21m) this summer, according to reports in Germany.
Rodríguez has emerged as one of the best left-backs in Europe over the past two seasons. The Swiss international made an impressive contribution with six goals and five assists in his 26 Bundesliga appearances, helping Wolfsburg to finish runners-up to Bayern Munich in the season just passed.
The 22-year-old has attracted interest from some of Europe’s elite after putting in some excellent displays for Switzerland in reaching the second round at last summer’s World Cup finals, but he opta to remain in Germany for a further season.
However, it now looks as though Ricardo Rodríguez could finally be leaving the Volkswagen Arena this summer, with the Premier League a likely option.
German newspaper Bild have today claimed that both UEFA Champions League qualifiers Arsenal and Manchester United are keen on making a move for him.
CSAR can also reveal that Gunners boss is in the market for a new left-back this summer, with Nacho Monreal expected to leave. The Spaniard is being strongly linked with a switch to La Liga side Athletic Bilbao.
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal already has a couple of options at left-back but may be looking for more depth after Luke Shaw struggled for fitness for the majority of the season just passed. Marcos Rojo and Ashley Young both played several games there in 2014-15 but both are preferred elsewhere on the field.
The German newspaper suggests that Wolfsburg will demand the full value of the player’s €30 million (£21m) release clause for any club to acquire the services of Ricardo Rodríguez. The Wolves are wealthy and have just qualified for the Champions League – they are not a selling club.
It will be interesting to see how things develop over the coming weeks with the upcoming transfer window about to open. Should either Arsenal or United agree a deal to sign Rodríguez ahead of next season, then we believe they will have pulled off something of a coup as he would be an excellent acquisition for either club.
The Swiss star is already a top full-back, and at 22, he still has plenty of time to develop his skills even further. The £21 million pricetag would be a big outlay for a defender, so we shall have to wait and see whether either club will push through a deal this summer…
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